He was known as the "bad cop" in negotiations. A lot of ex-Eagles (Westbrook, Dawkins, H Douglas) didn't like him because of how their contract situations were handled. That said, him knowing when to let go of guys has helped us stay competitive. He doesn't keep many studs past 31 if there are young players waiting for their time and good enough.

Not sure if you can read that because it's mobile but good quotes from former players on Banner. He is good at finding gems for cheap but would rather they leave and be stars somewhere else once they overachieve their small contract. Shawn Barber and Chris Clemons come to mind.

The extensions for Shady, Cole, Herremans, DeSean, and Evan Mathis would not have been quick and smooth with Banner still here. He's a hard nosed negotiator.

You can point to the old Eagles relationship with Drew Rosenhaus (Terrell Owens extension) to their new one (DeSean and Shady) to see that.

He'll find you guys on the FA market that will give you more value than what they're signed for and is good at working the salary cap.

Interesting. I read the article and judging by that and your remarks, it sounds like he is good at his job, but not exactly a "people person."

Not sure how I feel about it... I've been pretty happy with Holmgren's personnel moves. I don't feel like he was given a chance to succeed, but at the same time there were rumors circulating that this was Holmgren's last season in Cleveland regardless of who owned the team. Reportedly, he misses living on the West Coast.

So, I guess if Holmgren had one foot out the door anyway, we could do worse than Banner. Heckert and the coaching staff staying in place should give us the kind of stability necessary for a smooth transition.

We'll see how it plays out... Maybe Holmgren's time set us up for the kind of return to relevance that is craved in NE Ohio and Banner will be the guy that pushes it over the top? Certainly not out of the realm of possibility, because I do think that the roster is 100x better now than it was a couple of years ago and there is quite a bit of young talent on this team.